Martin O’Neill has praised his Celtic players for their attitude and focus following the 4–0 win over Falkirk at Celtic Park.
Goals from Johnny Kenny, Benjamin Nygren and Sebastian Tounekti ensured a convincing result and a return to confidence for a side that had been under pressure in recent weeks. O’Neill’s return to the touchline was met with huge support from the stands, and the team responded with energy and purpose from the first whistle.
Attention now quickly turns to the Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers on Sunday at Hampden Park. Celtic will go into the tie with renewed belief, knowing a win would send them back into a domestic final and underline their progress under the new management team.
Despite the short turnaround, O’Neill made it clear he will be assessing his players closely ahead of the derby, using the next few days to gauge fitness and focus before finalising his line-up.
He said: (Sky Sports), “We’ll think about it now and see how we’ve come out of it. It’s great for me because I get to see some players I don’t know that much about.
“All of those things are positives, but tonight was the most important thing.
“I said to the players we can’t think about anything further ahead than the game right in front of us, and I think they accepted that.
“They put heart and soul into it, played some lovely stuff, and defended pretty well for most of the game.”
O’Neill’s words showed his aim to keep the team focused and build momentum step by step. He spoke calmly and clearly, showing he understands what the players have been through and that he’s looking at the long term rather than quick fixes.
He also hinted that some of the younger players could get more chances as he continues to get to know the squad. His approach looks to be about steady progress instead of big changes as Celtic try to find their rhythm again under his guidance.
With confidence returning and a place in the final up for grabs, O’Neill’s message was simple, keep working hard, stay grounded, and focus on the next challenge. Sunday’s semi-final against Rangers will be the first real test of this new start for Celtic.
For O’Neill, the key now is to build on the energy from the Falkirk win and turn it into another strong, determined display, exactly what will be needed when they face their biggest rivals at Hampden.
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